Win $10,000 -- and Better the Planet

I'm delighted to announce the IGNITEgood Millennial Impact Challenge, a nationwide search for innovative ideas to make the world better through service. In collaboration with the Heartfelt Foundation -- a nonprofit that has been serving individuals, families, and communities in need for more than 30 years -- HuffPost hopes the Impact Challenge will tap into the creativity, ingenuity and empathy of the millennial generation.

The Millennial Impact Challenge will identify game changers among young men and women and connect them with the resources they need to turn their visions into reality, scale their impact, and inspire others to do the same. At a time when young people are facing so many obstacles -- including student-loan debts and a very tough job market -- there's an urgent need to ignite empathy and innovation. The realities of our economic crisis have been especially harsh on young people, and since it's clear that solutions won't be coming out of Washington any time soon, improving these realities requires all hands on deck.

Starting today, via ignite-good.org, emerging leaders from around the country will compete for a shot at one of 10 Millennial Impact Grants, each worth $10,000. The Impact Challenge is open to anyone 30 years and under.

The entry deadline is October 19, 2012. Five winners will be selected by a team of Generation Y expert judges and five winners will be selected by public vote on The Huffington Post Impact. Winners will be announced on November 15, 2012.

In addition to funding, the grantees will receive ongoing coaching, pro-bono support and training, including a three-day bootcamp in New York led by a team of experts who will share practical tools for long-term success. And since the Impact Challenge is just the beginning, IGNITEgood will work to facilitate an ongoing dialogue and collaboration among the competition winners.

Would you like to apply, or do you know someone who should? Please submit your entry (or nominate someone as an entrant) by filling out a competition entry form on ignite-good.org. You can also email info@ignite-good.org with a short description of your nominee and his or her big idea. Be sure to include their contact information.

We are all excited about the Millennial Impact Challenge and putting the spotlight on the bold young visionaries who will be making a big difference in our world.